Updated May 1, 2026, 4:55 p.m. CT
Ahead of the WNBA tipping off its 30th regular season on May 7, ESPN released its top 50 players for the 2026 campaign. Caitlin Clark was moved in the ranking from No. 4 in the preseason last year to No. 10 in the preseason top 50 player rankings this year.
Though her 2025 campaign was injury-riddled, it’s still a bit of a puzzling spot considering her superstar pedigree and global reputation.
This ranking places Clark behind A’ja Wilson, Alyssa Thomas, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu, Allisha Gray, Paige Bueckers and Kelsey Plum.
Here is what Kareem Copeland had to say about Clark’s placement on the list, and how ESPN views the Iowa women’s basketball legend entering this season:
Clark received the fourth-most MVP votes as a rookie while setting a single-season league record for assists and posting the second-most 3-point field goals in a season. She became one of the league’s best passers and long-range shooters the moment she stepped onto a WNBA court, and was just getting started when she was named Rookie of the Year and first-team all-WNBA in 2024. Injuries limited her to only 13 games in 2025, but she was still named an All-Star. – Kareem Copeland, ESPN
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Clark will try to prove the network wrong when the Fever open the 2026 regular season on Saturday, May 9 in front of a national audience on ION against the Dallas Wings from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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